NASHVILLE, Tenn. (RFD-TV) — Pricing signals only work when they reflect what packers can actually sell, yet today’s yield grade was built for 1960s cattle—not the heavier, trimmer animals modern genetics produce.
Dr. Jessica Lancaster of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), a contractor to the Beef Checkoff, says the industry’s Red Meat Yield Round Table is addressing the gap to ensure producers are accurately paid for their true, saleable yield.
The current U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) yield grade equation often explains less than half of the real variation in red meat yield, which means premiums and discounts can miss the mark.
New tools can fix it: 3D imaging has shown it can account for over 90 percent of saleable yield, CT scans measure carcass composition with near-lab accuracy, and even radar shows promise for predicting yield in live cattle.
Updating yield assessment to incorporate these technologies would align prices with product, reward efficient cattle, and advance the Beef Industry Long Range Plan into 2026–2030.
Farm-Level Takeaway: Better yield measurement means fairer grids, more precise breeding targets, and more dollars for truly efficient cattle.
The Virginia Farm Bureau shows us how robotic milking technology has become a lifeline to the Commonwealth’s dairy industry, increasing production efficiency in the face of low milk prices and rising labor costs.
Keeping a close eye on Capitol Hill, farmers and ranchers wait with bated breath as President Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” heads to the Senate. AFBF economist Danny Munch joins us for a closer look.
Over 94 percent of U.S. dairy farms are family-owned, carrying forward a legacy built over generations that supports three million jobs and generates more than $40 billion in wages.
“Milk is the most nutritious drink known to mankind.”
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